![]() ![]() The Lord returns his strength to him and he brought down the roof of the Philistine temple. Though his bondage of shackles and blindness Samson finally saw the truth: he desperately needed to return to the Lord God. In his sleep she cut his hair, and the Philistines she was working with gouged out his eyes and threw him in prison. Time passed and Samson fell into trusting a promiscuous woman, Delilah, who eventually weaseled the secret out of him that his great strength came from the fact that he had never cut his hair. It was a strength far greater than any man of the age. Samson grew, as did his hair, and his great strength. She was given the specific command not to cut his hair, and that he would lead the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. An angel appeared to the mother of Samson before his birth, promising a great son to the barren woman. The sixth period produced perhaps the most well-known judge, Samson. Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, and Abon followed in succession during the fifth period of the Judges. Just as the Lord had promised, Israel saw victory to come. Both times the Lord proved faithful to Gideon’s request of a sign with a fleece so full of dew it could be wrung for a bowl full of water, while the surrounding floor was dry as a bone. ![]() He asked the Lord not once, but twice to see dew on a fleece while the floor around the fleece to be dry. The Lord spoke to him of a promise that Israel would have success against their enemies, but Gideon wanted a sign of proof. Gideon came after Deborah is known for the story of his testing with the fleece. He entrusted Deborah with great qualities and secrets of what was to come, knowing she would be faithful in her obedience. During this time in culture and history, it was extremely rare to see a woman lead, but Deborah is a great reminder that the Lord is the One who deems worthy, not the cultural standard. She was a prophet of the Lord, meaning the Lord spoke to her of things to come that proved true. She was not only a judge but a wife and songwriter. Shamgar was known for defeating over 600 Philistines with an oxgoad.ĭeborah is one of the more notable judges as she was a female leader. Ehud comes after leading God’s people to defeat the Moabites (later Ruth will come from the Moabites). The book begins with Othniel who captured a powerful Canaanite City. The judges called up to lead were not perfect either, but the recurring theme is redemption and coming back to the Lord. The people of Israel were indeed human and found themselves seeking after the desires of the flesh. It is the heart of God to not only lead His children but to have an enduring relationship with them, showing them favor and grace. The main theme of the Book of Judges is to show that sin will indeed lead to downfall and pain, but God is gracious to forgive, restore, and love those who repent and seek to have a relationship with Him. But they were submissive to God, and God used them (Life Application Study Bible). These judges were not perfect in fact, they included an assassin, a sexually promiscuous man, and a person who broke all the laws of hospitality. These judges sought to deliver Israel from its oppressors. ![]() The book covers twelve men and women who were called up to lead. The nation did not have a king, so judges were appointed to guide the great nation. The nation of Israel, at last, was abiding within the borders of the Promised Land of God, but as with any blessing granted maintaining the land proved a challenge to fleshly hearts. “In those days Israel had no king everyone did as he saw fit” ( Judges 17:6). The people did not have a king, but they did have judges to lead the nation. The book was written in tense time after Joshua had passed away and God’s chosen people, the Israelites, were inhabiting the long-awaited Promised Land of Canaan. It is possible that Samuel assembled some of the accounts from the period of the judges and that such prophets as Nathan and Gad, both of whom were associated with David's court, had a hand in shaping and editing the material (see 1Ch 29:29).” notes, “Although tradition ascribes the book to Samuel, the author is actually unknown. The Book of Judges was more than likely written by the prophet, and last judge, Samuel. ![]()
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